How to get stuck in a performance rut

Sunday, January 05, 2025

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How to get Stuck in a Performance Rut

4 years ago, I was waking up dreading work. No energy. All I wanted to do was stay in bed. I was in a rut. I wasn’t turning up to work with any drive or ambition. I was sluggish, lacking motivation, and totally directionless. My performance was bang average. I’m reflecting on my past performance ruts this week because I’ve begrudgingly realised that I’m in one right now. Thankfully, I have lessons already learnt to draw on this time.

So how did I get out of my performance rut? I took responsibility for the rut. I figured out what I wanted, I told my manager, and we built a plan to get there together. That gave me energy and drive again, because I knew there was an ambitious but achievable goal ahead.

There’s one thing that’s absolutely certain about performance ruts - if you have an exciting, ambitious goal in your sights, that you’re moving towards, you aren’t in a rut. They’re not compatible. That’s the key.

The Performance Rut Killer

My 3-step system to shift from performance rut to high performance

1 | Figure out what you want then turn it into an exciting, ambitious goal

4 years ago my exciting goal was to become a head of department, taking on management of a 5 person team, and the salary that goes along with that

Right now, I need a new challenge, I'm setting myself a goal to be promoted to Director and take on an entirely new area of the business with the promotion

What's exciting for you? A promotion? New role? Adding £10k to your salary?

2 | Express the goal to your manager

This part can be tough, because it requires laying your cards on the table, exposing yourself to criticism about where your gaps are. That can be hard. But it's necessary, and it gives all the information that you need to prove yourself ready to achieve your ambitious goal.

3 | Ask for your manager’s help building a plan to achieve your goal

I've had a lot of success asking for help, it's brought my manager along on the journey and showed I value them.

First time round, my manager created a job spec for the head of department role I wanted. We then aligned on the areas I was weakest and strongest against the spec, using traffic lights. Finally, we designed my next 6-12 months of projects to ensure I had the exposure to show improvement in my weak areas.

With these 3 steps, I got out of my past rut and achieved my ambitious goal. I intend to use the exact same 3 steps to get out of my current one. Do you feel yourself in a performance rut? Have a go with the framework yourself. And please let me know how you get on by replying to this email.

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David Bennett

Founder
The Salary Boost Newsletter

Sunday, January 05, 2025

Hi, I'm David Bennett

Founder of Salary Boost

I help ambitious people to master the steps to quick, sustainable, and consistent salary growth. Read my blog for free insights from my journey from £30k to £80k and what I'm learning on the road to £100k.